Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Human Resources and the Recruitment and Retention Strategy

The standing committee noted that the Stanton Regional Board was the only board whose information was contained in the PeopleSoft supplementary position information. Members wonder whether the committee will have opportunity to review information for other boards in the near future.

Unlike other departments which provided information on affirmative action statistics within the department, the Department of Health and Social Services did not include statistics in their business plan. Even though the department believes that this is a responsibility of the Financial Management Board Secretariat, there is still a clear role for the department in presenting this information to the committee during the business plan review.

Other than the affirmative action component of the Recruitment and Retention Plan, there is no clear affirmative action plan for the rest of the department. Members of the committee understand that the bulk of employees involved in healthcare in the Northwest Territories are board employees and that a representative workforce is being worked towards that level. Members would appreciate being advised of affirmative action statistics for the department and boards in the next business plan.

Members are concerned that the department is not doing an adequate job in promoting the results of the Recruitment and Retention Plan. Other than being advised by the Minister and her officials that the health and social service system is no longer in crisis, Members have nothing tangible to justify their continued support of the Recruitment and Retention Plan.

Recruiting trips to Europe, the high cost of hiring short-term staff through employment agencies and lapsed funds, make it hard for committee members to justify the plan at the community level. The public and the members need visible indicators, such as affordable housing for health and social service workers, to prove that the plan is working.

Members are aware of the requirement for registered nurses to upgrade to a bachelor degree. Members of the committee believe strongly that the department must incorporate this requirement into the recruitment and retention strategy. There are nurses who are long-term residents or who have made the commitment to the North, that may not be able to practice in the future if this upgrading is not addressed. The Northwest Territories has enough problems recruiting nurses without compounding the situation by failing to deal with the requirement to upgrade nursing qualifications.

Recommendation 1

The Standing Committee on Social Programs recommends that the Minister direct the department to examine the number of nurses practicing in the Northwest Territories that will be required to upgrade their qualifications to a Bachelor degree;

And further, that the Minister develop a strategy as part of the Recruitment and Retention Plan to deal with this upgrading requirement.